Uutta HelsinkiäNews2018 10 015G test environments to help make Helsinki the most functional city in the world

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5G test environments to help make Helsinki the most functional city in the world

Uutta Helsinkiä

1.10.2018

The City of Helsinki, Nokia and Elisa intensify their co-operation in the development of 5G test environments. In a memorandum of understanding signed this week, the parties agree upon measures to speed up the development of 5G networks in Helsinki. The objective is to make Helsinki the leading smart city in Europe, with the best mobile network and services in the world.

Helsinki aims to be the city that best capitalises on digitalisation. Even faster and more reliable network connections play a significant role in reaching that goal. 5G network allow for smaller latencies and bigger data transfer capacities. This creates possibilities for even better and more individualised services.

– Finland is the world leader in terms of mobile data usage and we want the Finns to be among the first to experience the possibilities of 5G as well. With 5G, it is possible to develop entirely new kinds of applications – for example, for traffic and health care – that bring remarkable improvements to people's everyday lives. We are proud that Elisa as a domestic mobile operator is participating in the development of the world's best mobile network for the people of Helsinki, rejoices Elisa CEO Veli-Matti Mattila.

Better, individualised mobile services are developed by creating open test environments in which service development can take place. It is especially important to create operational models, where the test platforms can generate added value for all their users; an example of this is the UrbanSense project's test platform founded on the Kumpula campus area, which focuses particularly on solutions for a broader and more participatory monitoring of the air quality and the handling of the data.

– Nokia's technology enables a fluent transition to 5G. By means of co-operation and an open test environment, we want to create prerequisites for the development of 5G city service and innovations of the future, notes Pekka Sundström, Account Director at Nokia.

According to its strategy, Helsinki wants to be the most functional city in the world. By combining digitalisation, design and dialogue, we build the user experience of a good city. Everyone, from enterprises to researchers and citizens, are welcome to join the 5G co-operation. As one form of co-operation, we launch an open design competition on 18 September to seek a unique design for the Helsinki 5G base stations that will pop up in the streetscape, tells Helsinki Mayor Jan Vapaavuori.